GAMEDAY PREVIEW: Vikings Wrap Regular Season Today in Chicago

The Minnesota Vikings wrap up the regular season today with a week 18 matchup against the Bears at Soldier Field in Chicago.

A Minnesota win today paired with a 49ers loss to Arizona would make the Vikings the #2 seed in the NFC. Any other scenario would leave Minnesota as the #3 seed in the conference.

If the Vikings end up as the #3 seed, they will host the New York Giants in a playoff matchup next week. If they finish in the #2 spot, they will host either the Packers, Lions, or Seahawks -- depending on what happens around the league today.

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Last week the Vikings (12-4) were dominated by the Packers, falling 41-17 at Lambeau Field in Green Bay. The Bears (3-13) had a similar game last week, losing to the Lions 41-10 in Detroit.

Yesterday the Vikings on Saturday activated tight end Irv Smith, Jr., and defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard from injured reserve. Minnesota also ruled out safety Harrison Smith due to some late week knee soreness.

Injury Report

For the Vikings, linebacker Brian Asamoah (knee), linebacker Za'Darius Smith (personal matter), and corner back Cam Dantzler (ankle) are all listed as 'questionable.' Center Garrett Bradbury (back) and defensive lineman James Lynch (shoulder) have been ruled 'out' for today's game.

For Chicago, linebacker Terrell Lewis (personal matter), defensive tackle Angelo Blackson (illness), and corner back Kyler Gordon (groin) are all listed as 'questionable.' Quarterback Justin Fields (hip), defensive back Jaylon Jones (concussion), and linebacker Sterling Weatherford (illness) are 'out' today.

Matchup History

The Vikings and Bears have faced each other 123 times in the regular and postseason, with Minnesota holding a lead in the all-time series 64-57-2. The Vikings won their last matchup 29-22 on October 9th at U.S. Bank Stadium.

The Odds

The Vikings are 7½ point favorites against the Bears today.

The Broadcast

The game is set to kickoff at 12:00 pm CT. (TV: FOX)

LOOK: Here are the 50 best beach towns in America

Every beach town has its share of pluses and minuses, which got us thinking about what makes a beach town the best one to live in. To find out, Stacker consulted data from WalletHub, released June 17, 2020, that compares U.S. beach towns. Ratings are based on six categories: affordability, weather, safety, economy, education and health, and quality of life. The cities ranged in population from 10,000 to 150,000, but they had to have at least one local beach listed on TripAdvisor. Read the full methodology here. From those rankings, we selected the top 50. Readers who live in California and Florida will be unsurprised to learn that many of towns featured here are in one of those two states.

Keep reading to see if your favorite beach town made the cut.

The 100 Best Places to Live in the Midwest

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